Health Dept Head to Court to Save Child from Parents

by Tahoe 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Tahoe

  https://ewn.co.za/2018/10/29/listen-health-dept-heads-to-court-to-save-child-from-parents

  Listen here: https://omny.fm/shows/the-kieno-kammies-show/health-dept-heads-to-court-to-save-child-from-pare

  It is reported the boy's parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and due to their religious convictions, they do not believe in certain medical procedures like blood transfusions, which their son needs.

  JOHANNESBURG - The MEC for Health in KwaZulu-Natal Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo and a medical doctor at Addington Hospital are taking legal action to save the life of a five-year-old boy suffering from sickle cell anaemia.

  Dhlomo says he took an oath when he became a medical doctor that neither race, sex or religion will bar him from withholding a life-saving intervention for a minor.

  It is reported that the little boy's parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and due to their religious convictions, they do not believe in certain medical procedures like blood transfusions, which their son needs.

  Dhlomo says they will not back down on this case to save the life of this little boy. The matter has been postponed to 5 December, when the parents will present their case to deny medical intervention.
• 

  StephaneLaliberte

  In Canada, most hospital are well prepared for this and can get custody of the child within hours. JWs already lost that battle in court and now, its a standard procedure. They loose custody of the child for the time needed to give the proper treatment and than get it back.

  As a JW parent, I was happy about this as it would have allowed my kid to get proper treatment without retribution from my congregation. I'm sure many JW parents feel like this as well.
• 

  Phizzy

  1) No child should be denied necessary medical treatment or care because of the beliefs of the parents.

  2) No child should have unnecessary medical procedures, i.e FGM or MGM (some may call the latter "circumcision), done to them because of the beliefs of the parents.

  3) We should stop talking of a Jewish, Muslim or Christian child, children should be left, physically and mentally, until they are adult, and can then freely formulate their own beliefs.
• 

  Vidiot

  These days here in Canada, it's not really an issue.

  Where a kid's health is concerned, the state puts its foot down, and the Org shows its throat.

  (Not something the WT goes out of its way to publicly acknowledge, though.)

  It's funny...

  ...I first clued in to that fact back when I was a teenage JW in the 80s, and even back then, I felt (privately) relieved.
• 

  Simon

  No child should be denied necessary medical treatment or care because of the beliefs of the parents

  The problem with that is framing any legislation. What about if the medical profession wants to give your child some other treatment for some other reason? Who has the right to force medical procedures on others?

  It's easy to think that the government should be given the role because people are looking at these particular cases but step back and look at things as a whole. I don't trust the government to do anything sensible, why suddenly hand over control of medical choices?

  The current system of parental choice is better overall, with the safety check of making an argument to a court in specific situations.